8 scary sleep disorders

Sleep disorders not only rob us of a myriad of healthy
benefits, but at times, they can be downright scary. From sleep
paralysis and hallucinations to sexsomnia, we look at 8 worrisome sleep
problems.

Getting a good night’s sleep has been associated with a
long list of benefits from lower stress to better heart health,
brainpower and longevity.

Sleep disorders not only rob us of these benefits, but at times, they
can actually be scary — either because of the health risks they pose or
because they are literally frightening. Here are eight serious sleep
issues.

Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Along with insomnia,
obstructive sleep apnea is one of the most common sleep disorders,
affecting millions of North Americans. “Apnea” — which is Greek for
“without breath” — refers to episodes where a person pauses in breathing
during sleep. Typically, an episode lasts long enough that one or more
breaths are missed, and can occur dozens or even hundreds of times
throughout the night.

While sleep apnea occurs in two distinct forms — central and
obstructive — obstructive sleep apnea is by far more common. It occurs
when soft tissues of the throat relax and cause a physical block to
airflow. (In central sleep apnea, the brain doesn’t send the proper
signals to the muscles that control breathing.) Symptoms of both
varieties overlap, sometimes making a determination between the two
difficult.

The scary part? Despite being considered a serious medical condition,
sleep apnea often goes undiagnosed. It has been found to increase risk
for high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. And recently, a pair
of studies out of Spain and the US found that sleep apnea can
significantly increase risk for cancer. The disorder can also lead to
memory problems, mood swings and feelings of depression.

Symptoms include loud snoring, morning headaches and excessive
fatigue even after getting a full night’s sleep. Treatments can include
sleeping with a CPAP (continuous positive airway pressure) mask, wearing
an oral device designed to keep your throat open or in some cases,
having surgery to remove excess tissue from your nose or throat.

Other things you can do, according to experts: lose excess weight,
avoid alcohol and medications such as tranquilizers and sleeping pills,
sleep on your side or abdomen (rather than on your back), and use a
saline spray to help keep your nasal passages clear.

Sleep Paralysis

Dream activity ramps up during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and to
keep us from acting out our dreams and possibly harming ourselves, the
muscles of the body become immobile. But sometimes this temporary
paralysis continues even after a person wakes up.

This inability to move or speak can happen while falling asleep or
upon awakening. While the episodes are usually brief, they can be quite
frightening. Basically, you know you’re awake — but when you try to
move, you can’t. (While experts aren’t sure what causes sleep paralysis,
some sources say that people who suffer from it tend to sleep on their
back.)

And to make matters worse, sleep paralysis is often accompanied by the next spooky sleep disorder on the list: hallucinations.

Sleepy Hallucinations

Like sleep paralysis, these hallucinations (called hypnagogic
hallucinations) often occur while falling quickly into REM sleep, as you
do when you first fall asleep, or while you’re awaking.
And because you’re semi-awake when you begin to dream, these dreams can seem particularly vivid and real.

Typical hallucinations include hearing voices, feeling phantom
sensations and seeing people or strange objects in the room. A
particularly common vision? Bugs or animals crawling on the wall,
experts say. Some researchers even say that reports of alien visitation
or abduction could be explained by episodes of sleep paralysis.

As mentioned, many people experience hypnagogic hallucinations and
sleep paralysis simultaneously. Taken together, these sleep disorders
can be frightening indeed, with many people reporting that they sense an
evil presence along with a feeling of being crushed or choked. Such
spooky sensations have inspired folklore surrounding the pair of sleep
disorders: in Newfoundland, it is called the “Old Hag” and in Mexico
it’s known by the idiom “subirse el muerto” — or “the dead climb on top of you”.

Sleep-related hallucinations are also common in people with narcolepsy,
another serious sleep disorder. Narcolepsy is associated with excessive
daytime sleepiness, involuntary periods of sleep and loss of muscle
control.

Sleepwalking

It’s more prevalent than you might think. Up to 15 per cent of adults
occasionally sleepwalk, experts say. And forget about the notion of
sleepwalkers moving slowly around, arms outstretched. Many nighttime
wonderers navigate their rooms with ease, even opening doors and moving
furniture. (Falling, however, is a very real danger, particularly when
stairs are involved.) Another myth: Waking a sleepwalker will not, in
fact, do them any harm, despite a common perception this should be
avoided.

Experts say that genetics could play a big role, with close relatives
of sleepwalkers 10 times more likely to suffer from the disorder than
the general population. Stress and disturbed sleep can also play a role.

REM Behavior Disorder

This disorder has the opposite affect of sleep paralysis. Instead of experiencing too much immobility, a person with REM Behavior Disorder
has too little of it. When this happens, people act out their dreams,
which can be harmful to themselves or others if the dream happens to be
violent. Examples include yelling, punching, kicking, and even getting
out of bed and running around. After awakening, a person may remember
their dream, but not speaking or moving.

This particular disorder occurs most often among older adults, and it
can be a symptom of Parkinson’s disease. It can be treated with
medications that reduce REM sleep and relax the body.

Nocturnal Sleep-Related Eating Disorder

This disorder is a dieter’s nightmare, literally. People with a sleep-related eating problem
go on nocturnal eating binges — and often don’t even remember it the
next morning. Even worse: they can injure themselves by chopping
ingredients, burning themselves on the oven or serving up unhealthy and
unsavory dishes like raw or frozen food.

Not much is known about this sleep disorder, but like sleepwalking,
it occurs during non-REM sleep. Experts say that certain drugs that
increase dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with reward and
pleasure, can help stop the unconscious nighttime noshing.

Sexsomnia

If you think eating in your sleep is strange, how about having sleep sex? Sexsomnia,
first described in a 1996 case study of seven individuals, can include
symptoms ranging from the annoying (loud moaning) to the dangerous
(self-injurious masturbation) to the criminal (sexual assault or rape).
In several recent controversial cases, men have been acquitted of sexual
assault by arguing that they were asleep during the attack.

While research on sexsomnia is limited, some experts suggest that
factors such as sleep deprivation, stress, alcohol, drugs and physical
contact with a bed partner could play a role.

Night Terrors

Unlike nightmares, night terrors are technically not dreams, but a
strong reaction as a person transitions from one sleep phase to another.
This disorder, which can cause intense fear, is most common among
children and usually occurs two to three hours after sleep begins.

A person experiencing a night terror may suddenly sit up with their
eyes open, although they usually aren’t actually seeing what is in front
of them. Yelling, screaming, and thrashing are common, and in some
cases, night terrors mix with sleepwalking. Although it is difficult to
comfort, or even awaken, a person in the midst of a terror, the episode
generally passes within 10 to 15 minutes.

Like many other sleep disorders, the cause remains a mystery,
although some experts point to triggers such as fever, irregular sleep
and stress. The good news for children (and their parents) experiencing
this disorder is that it is usually outgrown.

What can you do?

If you’re experiencing sleep problems on an ongoing basis, it’s
important to consult with your doctor who may refer you to a sleep
clinic for diagnosis. This often involves spending a night or two in a
sleep lab, where heart, brain, movements and breathing patterns can be
monitored during sleep. Treatments can vary from medical interventions
and drugs to lifestyle changes that can improve sleep hygiene.